The Federal Operations Unit, Zone C, Owerri, Nigeria Customs Service, has intercepted tramadol and other contrabands with a Duty Paid Value of N99.82m between April and June 2021.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, who disclosed this in a statement in Owerri on Monday, added that five suspects were arrested in connection with the intercepted goods.
Giving the breakdown of the goods, Attah explained that 45 rolls containing 4,500 sachets of 225mg of Royal brand of Tramadol, 210 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, 18 parcels of Indian hemp, 19,725 sachets of dizapam tablet and 98 bales of used clothing were among the items impounded by the command.
Others include 220 cartons of foreign tomato paste, 12 cartons of foreign soap, 240 used tyres and 668 pairs of used shoes mostly intercepted along Okada–Benin–Lagos expressway.
The Customs Area Controller for the command, Yusuf Lawal, reiterated that though smuggling is a global phenomenon, all hands must be on deck to reduce it to the barest minimum, the statement added.
Lawal commended the resilience and doggedness of his officers and men that did the job.
According to him, only God knows what would have happened, if the tramadol got to the wrong hand at this trying moment, as the negative consequences cannot be over-emphasised.
His words, “We thank our sister agencies that are always on the ground giving us the necessary operational support, especially the army, police, Department of State Services among others and look forward to sustaining such relationship that will yield better performance in the remaining half of the year.”
